Chris Rolen, a veteran and owner of Weed Man Lawn Care is pictured with his work vehicle while attending a Homeowners Association event in Windsor on Saturday. / Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan

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Chris Rolen, 43, of Loveland has been with local lawn care company Weed Man Lawn Care of Loveland since September 2011.

Rolen likes to use his green thumb and talents to benefit the community, donating vegetation control services to Hearts & Horses in Loveland and donating coupons to the Loveland High School bandís silent auction. But one of Rolenís main causes is helping his fellow veterans.

The lawn guru and local veteran believes past, current and future veterans should be shown appreciation for their years protecting the country, so he uses his company to provide a year of free lawn care to a veteran each year.

Question: Tell me about Weed Man.

A: Iíve been with Weed Man since 2011. We specialize in lawn care including fertilization, weed control, surface insect control, disease control and lawn aeration.

Q: What made you want to extend these services to a veteran each year for free?

A: I have spent 18-plus years in the military, both active and reserves, and felt that I have benefited in my personal life to have done so. I have also met some incredible service members from World War II, Korea, Vietnam (my father included) who have sacrificed more than the average U.S. citizen to ensure our freedoms and those of others are upheld.

I have served and continue to serve with soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines who have given up on a lot of personal freedoms in the tradition of the American military service member.

As small a gesture as one year of free lawn care is, I could not think of a better way for Weed Man Lawn Care of Loveland to say thank you to all of those who came before me and who continue to serve today.

Q: Have you done anything like this before?

A: I participate in a nonprofit organization called Project EverGreen. Its mission is to preserve and enhance green space throughout the community. As part of the organizationís GreenCare for Troops programs, I provide lawn care services to a military family for one year free of charge.

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I registered with GreenCare for Troops in 2012 to offer free lawn care to a deployed service memberís family, but the response was not there because the Loveland/Fort Collins area did not have a large segment of deployed military personnel in 2012. So I decided that I would extend the eligibility for a free year of lawn care to any veteran in my area.

Q: Who is this yearís veteran?

A: This yearís veteran doesnít want his first name published. I initially approached Robb Smith, American Legion Loveland post commander, with the idea about donating the year ... A few weeks later, I was introduced to the World War II naval veteran who is receiving my services.

I have spoken with the family and they are really nice people who are very grateful for the service.

Q: Where and when did you serve?

A: I joined the service directly out of high school in 1988 and served for eight years on active duty ó including support of Operation Desert Storm and a 14-month assignment to Korea. I have been in the National Guard/Reserves since that time and have been deployed in support of Enduring Freedom. My brother continues to serve on active duty where he has been for 19-plus years.

Q: Why do you think itís important to show your appreciation to other veterans?

A: Veterans of all services have stood ready to defend our freedoms and those of our allies since the inception of our country.

Next year, I may do the same for a civil servant such as a police officer, fireman or school teacher. They all give us something that makes us better as a community.

Q: Speaking as a lawn guru, do you have any tips for our readers on what they should do to prepare for spring?

A: We all know that it has been very dry here in Northern Colorado. Using a high-quality lawn care service ... and practicing good lawn maintenance procedures, such as watering and mowing, will help us all maintain greener spaces. This, in turn, helps our environment stay beautiful, healthy, cooler and more useful.